Rev set to return

The BBC has announced that they have commissioned a new series of the hit ecclesiastical sit com Rev.

The Cast of hit BBC sit-com Rev

The show, which features co-creator Tom Hollander as Rev Adam Smallbone, an inner city Vicar with his hands full of problematic parishioners, has won acclaim around the world.

Although it has been criticised by some, for showing the fictional Rev Smallbone’s daily struggles with faith and life, it has also won many fans among believers and non-believers alike.

In each episode Rev Smallbone is seen praying to God in a conversational way, making it clear how real Adam’s faith is.

But problems with his marriage, his parish responsibilities and church politics feature in each episode too, many of these incidents are based on true stories.

Rather than being a total lampooning of Christian ministry though, Rev showcases and exaggerates a series of conundrums familiar to anyone in Christian ministry.

Hollander told an interviewer: “It was never our intention to make the church itself seem ridiculous.

“We were always discussing whether something was the wrong side of the line or not, without ever wanting it to be watered down, but I believe it’s fundamentally very compassionate about the church and what vicars do.”

And he went on to explain that his own interest in spirituality has begun to grow since the show in recent years.

He added: “…as I get older I find it more interesting to think about why you might have faith.

“I find atheism quite straightforward, because clearly you can’t prove anything, it makes no sense and so it’s all made up; but then on the other hand the yearning to make sense of something beyond ourselves is increasingly interesting.

“It just makes me want to know the bits of mystery around the edges of things you don’t understand.”

Controller of BBC Two, Janice Hadlow, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have Rev back on the channel. It’s one of the real comedy jewels in BBC Two’s crown.”

Rev won Best Sitcom at the 2011 BAFTA awards and Best Comedy at the South Bank Award 2010. At the 38th annual Broadcasting Press Guild Awards it took home Best Comedy/Entertainment, the writer’s award for Tom Hollander and James Wood, and two awards for Olivia Colman, (Best Actress and the Breakthrough Award), for her role as Alex Smallbone.

Filming for the new series is scheduled to take place in Autumn 2013, with the series set to air in 2014.

What’s your opinion of Rev? Like it or loath it – let us know…

SIMON CROSS

This article was written and published by Simon Cross for Christian.co.uk

Personally I love it. I was recommended the show by a staunch non-Christian when it was a little more "near to the bone". I found myself laughing but wanting to correct certain things. I think that the second series was spot on. Funny, not giving any smug answers or easy solutions and quite thought provoking at times.